It Always Leads To Violets
by kc creation
Summary: An unusual gift from Tohru helps Kyo in more ways than he can imagine. kyoxharu, kyoxyuki


**It Always Leads To Violets**

When he held it, for the very first time, it was green. Tohru had laughed, in that charming way she always did, and read four words from the paper it had come with. _'nervous, unsettled, mixed emotions.'_

He'd asked her why. Why had she gotten him such a random gift, for no reason what-so-ever, and why -while he first made a point of telling her just how much he appreciated it- would she get him, a boy, a mood ring?

She had laughed again, slipping the small paper into his hands, and covering them with her own.

"I know Kyo-kun has trouble sorting out his emotions sometimes, so I thought this might help."

It was reasonable enough, and if he could have hugged her for such thoughtfulness, he would have, but instead, has to settle for wearing the small ring on a chain around his neck, under his clothes. His bracelet was strange as it was, he didn't feel like showing off a necklace as well.

He wasn't Haru, afterall.

And speaking of the dumb ox, Dark Blue really wasn't his color, so why did the damn ring change that shade every time he passed? Upon noticing this odd occurrence, he found himself checking the little color chart, and stuffing it back into his pocket with pink cheeks and more questions than answers.

_'love, passion, romance'_

It was unsettling.

When Akito had come, and the color had drained from Yuki's already too pale face, the cat-cursed found himself hiding away on the rooftop, clutching the cloudy, gray stone between shaking fingers.

Tohru came up with dinner, hours later, and they talked about everything from the weather, to the mood ring, and Kyo forced out the words that he knew she'd understand, feared she'd hate him for, but knew better of her.

"I think I like Haru."

The stone had changed briefly, from the nervous gray, to a relaxed blue-green, as the girl squealed and voiced her happiness, but as the night bore on, he couldn't let himself feel relieved, because he knew he wasn't the one Tohru should be wasting her time with.

Later, he tried to tell himself that he was just hungry, and he wasn't at all concerned about the retching sounds coming from the bathroom, but he knew he wasn't a midnight eater, and the toilet was an entire hallway's distance from the stairs.

He then blamed his spying on a cat's curiousity, while the fact that Tohru's kindness was rubbing off on him was at fault when he found himself holding the lithe figure, as they sobbed quietly into his chest.

The fragile boy was caried back to his room, and Kyo would swear that the mood ring matched Yuki's teary eyes.

_'Violet: sensual, clarity, purpose is known.'_

His first kiss was with Haru, behind the school, while the ox should have been running laps, and the older boy was supposed to inside, recieving Yuki's homework, on his one and only sick day.

Of course, the only thing Kyo was recieving was a tongue down his throat, and a heart full of false hope. He wasn't sure if there was a color for _'making out with someone you're pretty sure doesn't like you_', but the small object did fairly well, glowing a confused and flustered pink.

The rat gave him an odd smile when Kyo handed him his homework, and the cat left the room as quickly as possible.

A week later, news broke out that Hatsuharu Sohma was dating an older girl of the same last name. It wasn't a mystery as to who, Kyo mused, his thoughts instantly swimming with images of the rude, but beautiful horse of the zodiac, and the ring was such a mixture of colors, he couldn't tell one from the other.

"Kyo," Yuki muttered one morning, as said boy was slipping on his shoes for school, a piece of toast hanging from his mouth. "I need to talk to you."

The cat shrugged his shoulders, taking the food from his mouth as he followed the shorter boy outside. It was humid, but the air smelled fresh from the recent rainfall, and the trees shined beautifully in the morning sun.

"So.. what?" He drew out, brushing stray bread crumbs from his shirt, then shoving his hands in his pockets.

The other boy stared back at him in longing, but Kyo didn't catch it. His mind had wandered to the night of Akito's visit, holding the thin teen as he cried, and noticing the brilliant color of the mood ring that so matched the rat's eyes.

"I.." The gray haired boy trailed off, shaking his head nervously. "I was wondering if you'd like to, you know, date.. or something."

He shuffled his feet nervously, as the cat stared, for once, his emotions unreadable. Then, for seemingly no reason, he burst into a fit of laughter, and all the answers seemed to come to him at once, laying a hand on Yuki's shoulder to support himself. The shorter teen looked as if he was about to get angry, but paused, brought a slender hand to his face, and their joy filled the woods, tears coming to their eyes as their laughter faded away.

"Yeah," Kyo chuckled. "Dating would be cool."

and the ring shown dark blue, but the cat's red eyes didn't catch it. The two boys grasped hands, smiling as Tohru ran out behind them, stopping to squeal in joy, as she had when Kyo had admitted his feelings for Haru.

At the end of the day, the cat would notice, with great distain, that the jewel had cracked, and the color would no longer change. Yet, instead of fading to a dead black as he had expected of it, it glowed an unfamiliar orange, and for the last time, he checked the chart for its meaning.

_'content.' _it read simply, and he smiled, tucking the paper back into his pocket, but not bothering to hide the stone behind his shirt.

It matched his hair, and reminded him, in the most subtle of ways, that unrequited love wasn't a big deal.

Especially if it brings you to the most beautiful of violets.

**end**

---

I can't say I hate the ending, but I wish it was worded better.

I'M A FRESHMAN (since yesterday), and somehow that inspires me to write, in a very geeky, freshman way.

By the way, Haru wasn't being a jerk. He knew that Kyo liked him, but realized that he couldn't make the cat as happy as Yuki could. He's also a bit of a manwhore, so a snog here and there is always welcome.

Yuki's such an uke.


End file.
